Into the Gaping Jaw
by The God of Infinity
Summary: "Wo be unto the soul that wandereth down those strange paths that lead into the forest! For their soul is lost forever, and the Wolf hath all power over them."
1. Chapter 1

**Little Red Riding Hood**

**By: The God of Infinity**

**Chapter 1**

There once was a little girl named Little Red Riding Hood. She lived in a small cottage with her mother at the edge of a great forest. The small golden haired girl would pass her days away picking flowers and wild berries for her mother. Indeed, Little Red Riding Hood lived a carefree and happy life.

One day, Little Red Riding Hood's mother approached her with a basket full of warm home-baked oatmeal cookies, delectable vanilla cakes, and rich cherry pies.

"Come, my dear daughter. Thy grandmother has fallen ill and these desserts shall heal her soul. Go now my child, make thy way speedily along the pathways of the forest and ye shall find thy ailing grandmother within her humble cottage."

The mother gave Little Red Riding Hood a warm white hooded cloak so as to protect her from the forest's chill. The cloak did not match the young girl's unique name, but then again, what is in a name? "Go now my child, and extend not your visit within the forest beyond the appointed time."

Little Red Riding Hood obeyed her mother's wishes and, with basket in hand, set off down the pathway that led into the gaping mouth of the darkened forest.

Once Little Red Riding Hood had departed, an old woman draped in a black cloak appeared before the young girl's mother.

"Hast thou something to eat for an aging soul?"

The mother brought the old woman into the safety of her home.

"Thou shalt have cold water to drink, but the bread of my home has gone away. For not a moment before thou didst appear, I sent my young daughter into the forest to the home of her grandmother."

The old woman seemed taken aback as though she had just been accused of a crime she did not commit. "What hast thou done? Know ye not that those trees harbor a great many evils? Wo be unto the soul that wandereth down those strange paths that lead into the forest! For their soul is lost forever, and the Wolf hath all power over them."

The mother was frightened by what the old woman had said. She quickly ran outside to see if Little Red Riding Hood was still on the path, but she was too late. The dark forest had already swallowed up the little girl.

_Author's Notes: Don't forget to read Chapter 2!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Little Red Riding Hood skipped down the forest pathway, humming a cheerful tune as she went along. To her, the forest seemed quite calm and tranquil. However, the sunlight did not shine as it did when the young girl was outside the forest. In fact, the light from the sun seemed to slightly weaken the farther into the forest she went. Her cheerful tune seemed to weaken along with the disappearing rays of sunlight.

"Oh, Sun! Oh, Sun! Where art thy rays? Hast thou grown weary of hanging in the sky?"

Little Red Riding Hood was now a little uneasy. Fear began to coil around her like a snake. For the first time in a long time, the young girl felt completely and utterly alone.

She knew that she had to stay on the path at all times, yet she felt that she did not know where she was. Thoughts soon entered into her mind, probing her with questions as to whether or not she should go back. The girl quickly rid herself of the terrible thoughts. She knew she had to keep going.

It was in that moment that Little Red Riding Hood noted the presence of a Wolf standing near her.

"My dear child," said the Wolf. "Art thou lost? Hast thou strayed thy course?"

The little girl was stunned. She was amazed that a wolf could actually speak to her. She decided to show the basket of cakes, pies, and cookies, to the Wolf.

"Behold, nourishments I bring to the bedside of my poor grandmother. She liveth a way down the path of the forest, yet her door seems distant and courage hath forsaken me."

The Wolf stared at Little Red Riding Hood with his yellow eyes.

"Hast thou thine ears? Then suffer them to hear my words. For even the failing soul doth burst forth with life at the sight of Earth's beauty. Wherefore, pluck up the flowers of the field and place them in thy basket and happiness shall surely find its way to thy grandmother's heart."

Intrigued by the idea, the young girl thanked the Wolf and set off in search of wild flowers for her grandmother.

"Thou hast been my cause of joy this day, my child," said the Wolf. "For I have suffered the pangs of hunger all the day long, yet now I know with a surety that my hunger shall be vanquished at last!"

_Author's Notes: Don't forget to read Chapter 3!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

After Little Red Riding Hood had spent several minutes picking flowers for her grandmother, she set off once again down the path. A slight chill crept through the air, making the girl glad she had been given her white cloak to wear. A bit of courage reawakened within her after she had picked the flowers, and she even began to skip and hum once again.

The young girl ignored the fact that the forest was getting darker and darker as she went along. The chill in the air seemed to grow colder as she went as well. Still, the girl was determined to fulfill the assignment she had been given.

She rejoiced when at last she saw her grandmother's house. It was a small and humble cottage located in a small hollow of the forest.

Little Red Riding Hood ran up to the door of the cottage and was so excited that she did not even bother to knock. She opened the door and walked inside.

Upon walking in, the young girl noticed that there was barely any light at all. A strange and pungent smell emanated from some unknown origin within the small cottage.

"Grandmother? Where art thou? Why hast the light fled thy door?"

The girl stumbled through the dark in an attempt to find a source of light. She rejoiced within herself when her search was not in vain. Amidst the darkness came the faint glow of a warm candle. Little Red Riding Hood slowly made her way towards the light.

"Grandmother? Why dost thou hide thy face in darkness?"

As she approached the light, the girl felt something wet fall on her hooded head and then on her shoulders. It was not water, for it felt too thick and its smell was unknown to her.

"Come closer my child, for I have rejoiced to hear thy voice within my ears."

The liquid continued to fall over the girl as she continued to approach the light. She sought to discover what it was, but was more perplexed by another more pressing matter. "Grandmother?"

The young child did not recognize her grandmother's voice. "Thy voice hath betrayed thee, Grandmother. 'Tis deeper still than the duck's pond, and odder yet than the fox's hole."

The supposed grandmother let a chuckle followed by a series of coughs escape her mouth.

"Behold, I have fallen ill. My voice hath fled and there is no remedy to aid me."

The girl held her basket into the dim light for her grandmother to see.

"Behold, I bring cakes and pies to please thy taste."

Suddenly, the voice of the grandmother began to deepen more and more.

"Come my child," she said. "For it is not the taste of cake or pie which I desire. 'Tis

the tantalizing taste of the human flesh which I desire most of all."

Fear ran through the now pale-faced girl. She quickly began to back away from the light.

Just then, the imposter leapt forward at the girl, causing the candle to fall to the ground.

A scream was heard as the candle's flame cascaded down through the darkness before finally reaching its destination upon the ground.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The girl ran through the darkness until she found the light of the doorway from whence she came. She threw open the door and stepped into the better part of the darkened forest's light. She was horrified to see that the liquid she had allowed to fall on her was not water, but blood. So much had fallen on her that her once white cloak was now stained blood red. Her now stained cloak echoed a haunting truth to her name.

The smell of smoke began to wander through the air. The young girl looked and saw that her grandmother's cottage was slowly being engulfed in flames. She panicked. She didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, the glass from one of the cottage windows shattered and the supposed grandmother leapt through it and into the sight of Little Red Riding Hood.

The girl's eyes widened when she saw that it was none other than the Wolf she had previously met that stood before her.

"Oh thou wretched girl! Thy naiveté hath betrayed thee! Now behold, because thou hast entered in to this wood, thou hast found favor in Death's eyes; and the Wolf shall answer his plea."

The little girl did the only thing she felt was logical. She ran. She ran as fast as she could but her efforts to flee were in vain. The Wolf was upon her before she knew it. He knocked her back with his mighty paw and she collided with a tree. She gasped for air and began to cough and wrench in pain as an unnerving crack erupted from her spinal column. The Wolf fiercely caught up the girl by her blood red cloak and carried her back to the burning cottage.

Once inside, the Wolf placed her down on the floor. The girl's fragile body was now in terrible pain. As she looked up towards the ceiling, she noticed now where the blood had come from. She was filled with absolute horror at the sight of her grandmother strewn across the rafters of the house.

Before she could scream again, the Wolf pressed his heavy paw down on her frail chest. The fires in the cottage were now quickly spreading throughout the house.

"Behold," said the Wolf loudly. "Thou hast entered into my den, yea, even the very depths of the inferno. Now die, foolish girl! And fulfill the assignment which thou wast given!"

The Wolf leaned down and sank his teeth into the young girl's neck. Blood began to freely flow onto the wooden floor as she gasped and choked. The pressure from the Wolf's paw finally gave way and the girl's rib cage shattered, crushing her heart. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as the life force quickly fled from her body.


	5. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The worry of Little Red Riding Hood's mother escalated when she saw pillars of smoke rise through the trees. "What has become of my daughter?" she asked.

Suddenly a sound filled the air, which penetrated the mother's very core. It was the howl of a wolf.

The old woman draped in the black cloak looked up towards the smoke and sighed.

"And thus we see," she began. "That once trapped within the forest, there remaineth none who can escape the gaping jaws of the Wolf."


End file.
